East Kentucky Southern Railway History

The people of Grayson, Willard, and Webbville were very much opposed. They wanted to continue a schedule run between Grayson and Webbville. The Interstate Commerce Commission agreed, however another abandonment would be filed in one year.

The tr

acks had not been maintained for a decade or so between Grayson and Webbville. It was much too dangerous to run a heavy locomotive. To answer this problem, the men of the Grayson shops came up with a solution, a gasoline powered car fitted for track use.

The first was an open topped car. Eventually this was replaced by a covered gasoline motor car called the "Blue Goose". The name Blue Goose was a common term of the time referring to motorized cars that ran on rails. The Blue Goose was built entirely at the Grayson shops. The motor was from one of Henry Ford's Tin Lizzies. News reached Ford and he sent for a picture of the Blue Goose!

In 1928 the United States was on a collision course with the Great Depression and it was in that same year that the citizens of Grayson, Vincent, Hitchins, Reedville, Butler, Willard, Bellstrace, and Webbville purchased the Grayson-Webbville segment from the owners of the Eastern Kentucky Railway. The name of their new company was the "East Kentucky Southern Railway Company".

     The new company made a determined effort to win the approval of the public and to make a profit. A new automobile powered vehicle, No. 215, popularly called "Queen" was introduced to the segment. Queen looked very much like a school bus on tracks and had much less engine than that of the Blue Goose.

     The Eastern Kentucky Southern Railway made some money but not enough to maintain the tracks for three years. The road became very dangerous for rail travel and the decision was made to discontinue the line. An application to abandon the remaining 13.41 miles of track was filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission on December 12, 1932. Exactly one week later permission was granted.

     Service on the line terminated near the end of January 1933, and work of dismantling the line started shortly thereafter. The track, rolling stock, and locomotives were sold for no less than scrap price. The day of the Eastern Kentucky Railway had quietly ended.

Today we can travel along Routes 1, 207, and 773 through Carter, Greenup, and Lawerance counties in Eastern Kentucky. Much has changed since both the Eastern

Kentucky Railway and East Kentucky Southern Railway finished their course through our beautiful hills and valleys. Still remaining along its abandoned path are tangible features of the Railway.

Driving along the old path of the Eastern Kentucky Railway a person can find a number of items that directly or indirectly was part of the everyday operation of the railway. I often think of those men of men that powered their way through that virgin terrain bringing about tunnels and railroad beds. Much of the railroad bed still holds up the weight of vehicles traveling between Webbville, Grayson, and Greenup over much of Route 1, 773, and 207. It is that same terrain through which a train passed and our forbearers just a century before called their E.K. Railway.

Video produced by Gaines Johnson